DARWIN (Northern Territory, Australia): Robert Pocock was on Saturday appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) under the Government of Northern Territory of Australia.
He has become the first indigenous person to be appointed permanent CEO of the organization. He has been serving as interim CEO since August 2025 after the departure of Dr. Ben Scambary, according to an official press release here. The appointment was made by Northern Territory Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment Joshua Burgoyne on Saturday.
Pocock said he was honored to be appointed the first indigenous CEO of the AAPA. “The Authority plays an essential role in protecting our most sacred places while enabling development,” Pocock said, “I look forward to working with the AAPA Board and the dedicated AAPA team to build on the Authority’s strong legacy of supporting both Aboriginal culture and Territory growth.”
Pocock has earlier worked for AAPA as Director of Policy and Governance in 2020 and 2021, and has been the AAPA representative on the Northern Territory Heritage Council.
He has more than 20 years of experience across the legal sector, service delivery and public policy, and has held various leadership positions throughout his career, most recently as Director of the Aboriginal Justice Unit in the Northern Territory Attorney-General’s office.
Burgoyne said it was a a proud moment to have the first indigenous CEO of AAPA. “I look forward to working with Mr Pocock and the AAPA Board to protect Aboriginal sacred sites and enable responsible economic development now and into the future,” he said.
AAPA is an independent statutory authority established under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act. It oversees the protection of indigenous sacred sites on land and sea across the state. Aboriginal sacred sites are vital to the cultural heritage of the Northern Territory. They are an intrinsic part of a continuing body of practices and beliefs emanating from Aboriginal laws and traditions, and their preservation is important to all Australians.
Northern Territory is a state in Australia located in the country’s central and north-central regions. It has an area of just over 1.3 million (13 lakh) square kilometers and a population of 2,60,000. Indigenous Australians make up about 30.3% of the population and own about 49% of the land.
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